VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach Police Department said Monday that a man who was shot and killed by a police officer at the Oceanfront on March 26 had a gun on him prior to the encounter with the officer.
The department said members of its homicide unit talked to the officer who shot Donovon Lynch as well as another officer who was there when Lynch was shot. Those officers said Lynch had a gun, and investigators added that an independent witness told them he had a weapon prior to the encounter with police.
The police department said that gun was the one they recovered at the scene on March 26.
The department gave no other details about the gun or how it factored into the encounter with police. It only said that details regarding the interviews are part of the ongoing criminal investigation as are the specific actions Lynch and the officer who shot him. Once the investigation is complete, the department said all statements and evidence will be given to the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney's Office which is conducting a separate investigation into the the shooting death. The investigation is independent of any conducted by the Virginia Beach Police Department.
Police Chief Paul Neudigate was to provide updates on the other shooting incidents that took place at the Oceanfront on March 26 at a special session of Virginia Beach City Council on Tuesday.
In all, there were three shootings that night, including one that left Deshayla Harris dead. Several people were hurt in another shooting at 20th Street and Atlantic Avenue.
